To establish a global family of premium, heritage brand international schools providing a holistic education of exceptional quality which reflects the ethos and values of the King’s School Canterbury – the first school in the world.
Our schools will provide an academically ambitious education, outstanding pastoral care for each individual student and enriching and inspiring co-curricular programmes, and will open pathways to the best global universities.
KSIL (The King’s School International Limited) was established to manage the international partnerships between the King’s School Canterbury and its family of international schools and to establish projects and partnerships which enable the school to maximise its global educational impact. KSIL achieves this in three ways:
1. By developing a global network in which best practice and resources can be shared for the benefit of communities in the UK and around the world
2. By offering opportunities for meaningful partnership and collaboration for students and staff in our network, providing valuable experiences and connections
3. By enabling funds to be donated to the King’s School Canterbury, supporting bursaries and educational and outreach projects
The King’s School Canterbury can trace its origins back to the year 597 and, as such, was the first school in Europe, and possibly the world. We are inspired, not constrained by this illustrious and unmatched history, and as the original educational pioneers we look to the future and to the world for which we are preparing our young people.
Through the development of our international schools and partnerships we seek to maximise the educational opportunities for young people around the world, providing an inspiring, enriching and rounded education based on the British curriculum and with close links to the ethos and approach of the King’s School Canterbury.
A King’s education enables pupils to find their passions and to fulfil their potential and equips them with the skills and confidence which they will need to thrive in a fast-moving and ever-changing world. Our pupils emerge with the self-confidence, self-awareness, resilience, and open-mindedness required to face the challenges and to seize the opportunities of their futures.
At their heart, each of our communities cherishes the individual, supporting pupils and creating an inclusive and tolerant environment. It is this which enables our children to find their place, and to flourish.
Our schools are consciously connected to their individual locations and to the communities they serve. While each draws upon this ethos, every school will reflect its local context, and this diversity and richness strengthens our community.
As the pioneering and original British independent school, The King’s School, Canterbury has unquestionable experience in running an outstanding k-12 boarding school. We are a brand known for excellence across the board: Education, co-curricular, wellbeing and pastoral care.
We are not just a logo. We foster genuine and meaningful partnerships with our international schools and they are welcomed into the King’s family. We are highly selective of our partners and select only those who truly share our vision and ethos to deliver the highest quality education. We work in closer partnership with them, fostering a strong global network.
Through our rigorous quality assurance framework, we support our schools in striving to exceed international standards to provide an exceptional educational and pastoral experience for the students. Key areas of quality assurance monitoring and support include curriculum, admissions, staff training and development and operational policies and compliance.
Our commitment to the education of international pupils is aptly demonstrated by the innovative King’s International College. We are one of the few independent schools in the UK who offer this purpose-built, tailor-made provision delivering a bespoke curriculum that helps students adapt to the British approach to learning.
King’s Canterbury support our international schools through teacher training & staff development, peer-to-peer support, class connections and meaningful exchanges. We assist with the education accreditation process and, in addition, promote and support the achievement of COBIS accreditation – a kite mark of excellence for British International Schools.
Founded in 597AD, The King’s School Canterbury is the oldest operating school in Europe, and possibly the world.
Embracing over 1400 years of intellectual heritage and educational excellence, our enduring focus is to honour the legacy of outstanding education here at King’s – passed down through many centuries, yet always evolving to meet the needs of the future.
This is a rare, if not unique, combination of tradition and modern.
KEY DATES IN HISTORY
597ad Established by St Augustine of Canterbury
1542 Henry VIII names us The King’s School
1879 The founding of Junior King’s School
1970 We welcome girls for the first time
2018 Founding of The King’s School International College
2019 Founding of The King’s School, Shenzhen – China
2023 Founding of The King’s School, Vattanacville – Cambodia
Over 130 of our alumni are recorded in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and amongst the most distinguished are:
Christopher Marlowe Elizabethan playwright
William Harvey 16th Century physician
Walter Pater 19th Century essayist and stylist
W. Somerset Maugham 20th Century writer
David Gower England Cricket Captain
Michael Foale Record breaking NASA astronaut
Fran Houghton Triple Olympic medallist
Michael Morpurgo Author of War Horse
Anna Pinnock Academy Award winning art director and designer.
The King’s family is characterised by genuine connection and active links between its schools. The schools share best practice in policy and curriculum design, and teaching resources are shared on a departmental level between the schools, building on the innovations of a teaching body that is geographically dispersed but united by the same goals.
Students have the opportunity to create digital and real world links with their counterparts at other schools across the King’s family.
Our summer programmes enable students from our global network to spend time in Canterbury and to connect to our heritage and history. The King’s School Canterbury provides support and quality assurance in the following areas:
Providing in depth consultation and leadership on implementation of a relevant curriculum, integrating specific aspects of the King’s curriculum, values and ethos, and sharing guidance on resources and the external examinations process.
Working together to develop a co-curricular framework which provides a wide-ranging suite of activities designed to nurture good character, physical development and all-round wellbeing of students.
Recruiting senior staff and teachers is of upmost importance, ensuring that school leaders are suitably qualified to lead the overseas school and have a strong alignment with the values and ethos of the King’s School Canterbury.
Establishing an appropriate governance framework, supporting the appointment of governors and participating in school governance.
Advising on timelines and critical path to opening, on the planning of facilities and buildings, on the fit out of classrooms and other buildings. Agreeing trademark licensing and branding of the school.
Formulating key policies and operational guidance, and providing advice and support in working towards accreditation by external agencies.
80% of our students went on to study at Russell Group and 1994 Group Universities
10% attended Oxbridge and 9% Conservatoires and Drama schools
All international schools in the family of The King’s School, Canterbury, share the strong educational foundations of Britain’s oldest school whilst embracing the culture of their location.
Central to our ethos is a guiding belief in the importance of a broad, varied and stimulating curriculum; one which encourages pupils to enjoy a range of learning experiences inside and outside the classroom, helping to develop their interests and discover new passions.
Until middle school age, students follow a broad British curriculum, delivered in a way that is distinctly British yet taking advantage of international teaching approaches. We are not bound by national curriculum requirements and assessments and use this freedom to deliver an enlightened and stimulating curriculum that reflects both the King’s approach and the needs of each school’s distinctive community. At the same time, the curriculum reflects its host country, particularly through educating students about its history and society. Local celebrations, and indeed celebrations of other national and cultural traditions represented in our communities, play a major role in the lives of our schools.
In the senior years, students work towards the academic qualifications that will often be their passport to their destination after school. We give our schools the freedom to choose whether to offer IGCSEs and then A-Levels or the International Baccalaureate Diploma based on the aspirations of the school’s community.
The King’s School Canterbury has a long standing reputation for academic excellence and our pupils achieve outstanding academic outcomes, which underpin our strong track record of success in placing students at leading universities.
King’s Canterbury was one of the first schools to introduce the concept of ‘personal tutors’ in 1886, and takes pride in providing outstanding pastoral care for pupils. King’s pupils receive personalised guidance and support to help them on their educational journey. Personal tutors provide tailored support and coaching, helping pupils to achieve their goals and to feel safe, supported and happy in their learning.
The twin pursuit of excellence outside the classroom alongside academic excellence has long been a central pillar of the King’s ethos. Pupils at King’s benefit from an astonishingly broad programme of clubs, societies and activities, allowing pupils to cultivate and refine talents, pursue current interests or try something new.
Pupils are encouraged and supported to take advantage of what is on offer and to aim high, but equally to find joy and friendship in their pursuit of interests and activities beyond the
classroom. Supported by expert teachers and coaches and enabled by fantastic facilities, there is a real sense that anything is possible.
As a renowned family of schools, we are privileged to be able to select from a pool of exceptionally talented teachers who want to work for the King’s School. A rigorous recruitment process is followed, with only the very best candidates being employed. As the original school, the King’s School is committed to leading the way in developing and sharing the best practice in teaching, and there is a strong culture of engaging with educational research and investing in the professional development of our staff.
Our campuses enjoy state-of-the-art facilities, planned by award-winning architects, experienced in school design and we prepare students for their next step regardless of whether this is a top university in the UK, sports academy in USA or art college in Europe.
Schools in the King’s family are supported and held to account by the King’s School Canterbury, with a frequent programme of visits and quality assurance inspections in place by governors and senior staff.
The Council of British International Schools (COBIS) is the largest premier global association for British schools overseas, committed to school improvement, safeguarding, and supporting members and the wider sector. King’s schools are accredited by COBIS, and the King’ School Canterbury provides assistance in pursuing accreditation. COBIS accreditation is an internationally recognised kitemark, demonstrating to parents and governors the commitment and delivery of excellence in international education, safeguarding and pastoral care.
Alongside the executive team in each school, the Governing body holds responsibility for overseeing the strategic direction of each school. The King’s School Canterbury supports
the process of governor recruitment and is also represented on the board of each school in the network, ensuring a close working relationship between the schools and between the school and our international investors and partners.
A cycle of inspection and quality assurance is in place to ensure that all schools meet regulatory requirements and maintain the very highest educational standards, ensuring continuous improvement and accountability. The quality assurance process draws upon the framework and guidance from the UK’s Independent Schools Inspectorate, while also considering where necessary local requirements and compliance.
The International College in Canterbury was opened in 2019, and is the embodiment of our global-minded and innovative ethos. The College welcomes pupils between the ages of 13 and 17, offering bespoke courses preparing pupils for GCSEs and for transition to leading UK boarding schools.
Our first overseas school opened in Shenzhen in China. The pre prep has been open for 4 years and the prep and senior school have been fully operational since September 2022. The school benefits from superb modern facilities for day and boarding pupils, offering bilingual education in this exciting and dynamic city.
In August 2023, our second overseas school opened in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Phase 1 of the school offer a British international education to pupils aged 3-13 years, located in a city centre. Phase 2 of the opening in 2026 will see a move to our Vattanacville site offering a K-12 provision from 3 to 18 years. The capacity of The King’s School, Vattanacville will be 1400 pupils, including a boarding provision.
After years of hosting international summer schools and holiday activities programmes, we have developed a series of immersion programmes; offering our international students a truly authentic King’s Canterbury experience.
The curriculum is designed and delivered by King’s staff, incorporating specialist coaching including University application techniques (personal statement writing, interview skills and university visits), iGCSE revision courses, sports development and more.
In addition to physical visits to Canterbury, we are developing digital connections with classes, students and teacher in Canterbury, ensuring the live links are active and engaging; creating a culture of one school across the globe.
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